


one-shots and half-assed plots

by fishmanfictions



Series: one-shots and half-assed plots [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: And Now For Something Completely Different, Character Study, Crack Fic, Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Incorrect Quotes, Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Mentioned Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Pandora’s Vault, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, a lot of this is probably gonna be not a oneshot, at this point i should write a fic in the tags, group chats, i dunno what to tag this as, i get the bonk and you get 2 updates in a week, i guess?, i say that as if i don't have like 3000 plots formed and have time for a book, idk how tags work so i’m saying what i want, letter format (oooh fun), mr. minecraft you have children now, post-execution tingz, tubbo keeps forgiving people and being surprised when he’s still sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28656003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishmanfictions/pseuds/fishmanfictions
Summary: just a little one-shot book about MCYTs! they might be multiple parts, but i enjoy this format a lot more, with things that aren’t on their own and have other things to add(CURRENTLY ON BREAK!! im working on like 30000 projects so expect series! ill release the first one pretty soon!)
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: one-shots and half-assed plots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2174163
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

hello, and welcome to one-shots and half-assed plots! this is just a oneshot book about SBI, DSMP, mostly minecraft stuff because i am ✨hyperfixating✨ and decided to dive into other art forms (besides info dumping and making fan art)

anyways, i’ll be writing at least one piece per week as a little challenge to myself. no schedule to post, as long as this is updated every week. there could be more than one, or i could just write a little 500 word thing! 

i have impossibly high standards for what i can write and released so i’m hoping most of the things i write will be 2000+ but no promises-

i do take requests, but i’m not comfy with shipping, a lot of gore, or generally just anything NSFW that people (especially the cc’s in question) have said they’re not cool with. 

anyways, ask away, the first edition should be up next week by tuesday (EST) but knowing me that’s probably a lie. 

peace out!  
-Fish


	2. to a burning world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> letter time! headcanon that if tubbo ran away he’d try and forgive everyone bc he doesn’t understand healing agdhdjfk idk thought it was a cool idea. 
> 
> tw: minor self-harm (it’s accidental for the most part but it’s there) panic attack (i wrote them how i experience them) and just straight up mentions of violence and trauma stuff :D

_hello tommy!_

_hey, it’s so nice to hear back from you! glad that niki was able to sneak the letter past wilbur. i hope nothing crazy has happened, but i doubt the universe would grant that wish. i’ve been doing okay, if you’re wondering. niki has been helping me along, who knew she was so nice? (sarcasm)_

_but in all honesty, i’m a bit more fucked up than i first thought. i really wish that the respawn fixed everything, but it didn’t. i never imagined i would get out of the festival unscathed; one way or another i’d get hurt. and once i finished respawning, i could only wish that me escaping would help. and it did, i got out and now i can recover, but i must have forgotten about recovering. but i got out!_

_i couldn’t be happier about escaping, though. so don’t you go and start feeling guilty about shipping me off to the woods. i know you feel guilty about that, but please just… don’t? i don’t know. i genuinely don’t think i would have made it too far if you and niki and techno hadn’t covered me from wil as i booked it._

_how is wil by the way? i hope he’s getting better. the ravine never seemed to help though, so i’d assume things haven’t changed much. as horrible as he was to me, i wouldn’t want him dying due to insanity and whatnot, if anything that would be the worst. i know what he means to you and techno, i don’t want anyone dying._

_but yeah. things haven’t been amazing. i’m dancing around the point, i know. i don’t really want to rewrite this (probably won’t have the balls to do it) but things just haven’t been good. niki has been so nice to me and so present i feel like she really shouldn’t be wasting her time on all my issues._

_she’s probably going to stay with me for longer periods of times since she’s a bit worried about me. don’t worry though, niki is more than capable and you are busy trying to save l’manburg. saving wil is not your job, btw. that’s techno’s job. you’re a kid. both of us are kids._

_god i can imagine your eye roll at me calling us kids. but we are. accept it. also, speaking of techno, this letter’s PS is to him, so please don’t read this._

_until next time!_  
_tubbo__

_PS: to techno:_

_hello technoblade! is an exclamation point a good way to start this off? probably not. anyways, i’ve never sent a letter or anything to you before, and for what i’m taking as a pretty good reason._

_i really hope you regret what you did, because otherwise my apology wouldn’t make much sense. and if you are sorry, maybe we can meet up sometime! i never got a chance to properly meet you so that would be fun. tommy talked about you constantly before i left._

_and also, if you’re hesitant about me apologizing (“tubbo i shot you what the heck”) trust me i know. there isn’t a day that goes by when i don’t know, don’t worry about that. but i do want to talk with you, it seems nice. i don’t know when i’d be ready for that, if that’s a when even, but it’ll probably happen._

_send something with tommy’s next letter please! i’d love to have a conversation with you, without iron bars and a crossbow dividing us._

_(let tommy know he’s a good person. make sure wil knows he can be better, and make sure you know you’re not a bad person. i know you three are related when i have to reassure you guys that you can be happy-_

_everyone in pogtopia is definitely a good person, but war has adverse effects. we would know, wouldn’t we? couldn’t imagine being in your position. i’m sad everything has happened but then again, how else would they go?_

_for real closing the letter,_  
_don’t show this to wil,_  
_tubbo__

tubbo signed the letter, putting his pen down. he carefully sealed the envelope, leaving the front and back blank except for a scribble signature that he and tommy decided to show if a letter was important or not. as he put the sealed and signed envelope on the table, he caught sight of his burned arm. he always had the sleeve rolled up to avoid irritating the skin, even if it was fully healed it was dry and didn’t feel great.

maybe it was just luck every other time that tubbo saw his arm, and the scars were never fun to see, but it just was worse this time. it might have been him half-addressing and talking to techno, or just maybe he was unlucky.

the reason why didn’t stop his hand from coming up to cover it, his nails digging into his skin just past the worst of the scar. his gaze was on the envelope, focused on the green wax seal. grounding himself was something resembling an afterthought, tubbo was distracted and didn’t realize how deep his nails were digging.

he stood like that for a while, his legs stiff from being locked straight, nails digging deeper as his eyes bored into that envelope. he couldn’t be bothered by the outside world right now, he was focused on something else.

that something was technoblade. why the _hell_ would he forgive him? he didn’t deserve it. _ _ _he does though _.____ he shot you! _____schlatt would have done worse _.______ what’s worse than death?! _______we know______ **exactly** _ _ _ _ _ _what is worse than death. what is far worse than death is what schlatt would have done._______

and that was true. tubbo knew exactly what’s worse than death. he is so thankful that it was just one time, but it was ingrained in his memory. the scars on his back were testament to that. he really didn’t appreciate his brian being so naïve as to think that torture wasn’t as bad as dying. schlatt was clear as to what would happen if the festival didn’t end in tubbo’s death.

and schlatt always got his way.

his effects would be inflicted the was he exactly wanted every time, but they were there. flinches at shadows, aversion to red, white, and blue. loud noises were not something meaning ‘okay’ anymore.

he was snapped out of his mini-monologue by hands gently prying tubbo’s own from his arm. jumping, his head snapped over to see who it was.

niki.

it was just niki. niki, with a concerned face, eyebrows furrowed and mouth moving. only the he realized he wasn’t breathing properly.

a thought flashed in his head: she’s telling you to breathe.

as he tried to get a handle on his breathing, the sound came back full force.

“…hey, can you hear me?” niki asked, and tubbo’s eyes wandered back to the envelope.

a small nod was given, and he turned his head back to niki. she squeezed his hand, and looked over the envelope.

“did you do it?” she looked back, into tubbo’s eyes.

“yeah,” tubbo breathed.

he had been discussing talking to techno in his letters and planning doing it with niki. it was good that he didn’t have to explain himself.

“i said i forgave him. i don’t know why” he added.

a moment of silence, as niki thought about what he said.

“do you forgive him?” niki asked, sensing his nerves.

it was tubbo’s turn to think. he didn’t know. he was so used to forgiving. he forgave tommy for burning his house, wilbur for forcing him into war, sapnap for killing his bees, even dream sometimes. he definitely forgave eret, it was a good trade for what eret had hoped would bring peace. but techno was different. for no other reason than it was.

“i…” tubbo mumbled. “i dunno. i think i do. i want to, i really do. it won’t help to not forgive him.”

“tubbo,” niki said. “you’re allowed to be mad, and i know you must think forgiving him will toss those negative emotions into the trash. it won’t though. you’ve got to address your emotions like you addressed techno in the letter.”

head on.

tubbo nodded as niki continued, “it's your choice to see him, talk to him, anything at all. but your emotions can’t be running like a bull loose from its pen. that will only hurt. you’ve got to reign them in, make them harmless. that can’t just be done by forgiving, tubbo.”

tubbo took in her words. it was true, he had always hoped that forgiving would lessen the feelings of anger, sadness, and guilt. he didn’t know why he felt guilt, of all things, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. he understood what niki was saying, but didn’t understand how his emotions weren’t supposed to hurt him. that’s all they’ve done for years upon years.

wait, hold on. backtrack. that’s what niki wants him to see. that’s what she needs from him: he needs to know why he feels guilty, and learn how to make his emotions positive. he gets it, but not the step-by-step on how to do it.

“yeah, i see,” tubbo said, a bit more confident now that he understood what was happening exactly.

“maybe writing to him, even if they aren’t sent, can help? tell him why you feel a certain way about him, what you wanna do to fix it, who knows, as long as you aren’t bottling anything up,” niki smiled at him.

“okay, yeah,” tubbo nodded, considering the options, and also appreciating her concern.

niki patted his shoulder reassuringly, letting go of his hands. he had almost forgotten she was holding them apart from each other.

“we can talk about your arm later, because i do worry about you and you can’t stop me!” niki turned up her head and crossed her arms jokingly.

“do you wanna send the letter with the bit to him, or…” she trailed off, leaving the decision in the air.

“you can send it. might as well commit to it,” tubbo reasoned, deciding quickly but surely.

niki seemed somewhat surprised, but smiled and nodded all the same. pulling the letter a bit closer to her, she put her bag down on the table as a reminder to put it in later, in case tubbo changed his mind.

she turned back to tubbo, thinking for a second, “you still have those cookies? i know it’s past time for cookies and it’s late, but i thought we could have some before turning in?”

“of course i still have the cookies! you think i’d be crazy enough as to eat all of them without you?” tubbo laughed. “we can have some, afterwards we should definitely sleep. you staying over tonight?”

“yep! also is your couch a good place to sleep? i’m betting your guest room isn’t ready yet,” niki traveled over to the pantry, searching through for the cookies.

tubbo sighed, pulling a chair over to the table to sit down, “no, it isn’t, sorry.”

as he sat down, he put his scarred hand on his lap, and the unmarred one on the table, far away from each other. he could still feel the nail marks, and he wasn’t about to continue when he was more present.

“don’t apologize! you weren’t aware i’d be staying over this soon,” niki reassured, walking over with the box of cookies.

“yeah, but still. sleeping on the couch is never fun,” tubbo shrugged, and opened the box after moving it closer to him.

stealing a cookie from the box, niki grinned, “true, true, but it’s just one night!”

tubbo shrugs again, as took a bite out of a cookie.

“how do you make such good cookies? your baking skills are beyond me, honestly,” tubbo complimented. even after about 3 days, the cookies were still amazing.

niki laughed, “aw thanks! maybe i can teach you sometime? might be one of the first things we should do as some best buds bonding time!”

tubbo brightened up a little at the idea, “yeah that might not be too bad of an idea! we should set a time up.”

“next time i come over, i can bring some baking items! i’ve been staying over longer anyways, might as well bring some baking stuff,” niki grinned at tubbo excitedly.

“sounds great!” tubbo smiled back at her.

and the night went on, just like that. two friends, laughing and talking after a strange situation. that’s how tubbo wanted it, anyways. a nice distraction. and anyways, he needed someone to (and this is putting it bluntly) keep him alive.

he was a kid living on his own, after all. even without trauma that’s not the best thing to do. niki was helping though, and tubbo couldn’t be more grateful.

eventually, they both decided it was late enough. tubbo helped niki set up the couch for her to sleep in, and then walked himself upstairs to his room.

even if his dreams had hints of crossbows, fireworks, and screaming, mad men, he knew that when he woke up, things would be okay. that’s how it had been for the past month and a half since he’s been gone, and that’s how it’ll always be.

that’s how it’ll always be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting this at 12:50 am on a sunday (technically) but it is out! at last! more angst on its way, might add a part 2 to this, who knows! we shall see :D 
> 
> most of the oneshot are unconnected btw


	3. group chat time babyyyy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk i wanted smth small??? it’s really bad and it’s just modeled after some group chats i’ve been in (hahaha i talked to people once, i made a cult /j)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the names are p self-explanatory, but once the other characters are added to the gc (this’ll probably be made into its own series) i’ll add in an explanation on names :D

[ **2:14 am** ]

[ **dre added pogchamp, wimblr stop, jacobskarl, and 10 others to p a i n**]

[ **dream changed their name to dre**]

**dre:** sup fuckers

**wimblr stop:** what the hell

**pogchamp:** HELLO GREEN BITCH

[ **dre changed pogchamp’s name to the child**]

**bicon:** why??

**dre:** he do be a child

**bicon:** valid

**the child:** ERET MY M A N HELP

**dre:** nonono thisll make him shut up

**tubbox:** that is smart but also...

[ **tubbox changed the child’s name to beta male**]

**wimblr stop:** even BETTER

**beta male:** TUBBO I TRUSTED YOU

**tubbox:** i’m sorry but it’s funny

**bicon:** the gc has existed for like 2 minutes and you’ve already caused tommy to yell

**sharp electronic:** not a new record

**wimblr stop:** vouch, tommy once yelled at someone after 2 seconds of interaction

**beta male:** NOT TRUE

**dre:** that person was me tommy

**dre:** you literally saw me across the street and went apeshit

**bbh:** language

**sharp electronic:** twenty bucks says that is all bbh will say in this

**beta male:** bout to lose $20 techno

**bbh:** you shouldn’t be betting on that

**sharp electronic:** oh

**sharp electronic:** no

**beta male:** THE BLAD HAS BEEN FEFEEDTHRJSNDJFJF

**dre:** what the shit

**beta male:** HELPSSODOFPF

**wimblr stop:** techno has tackled the child :)

**beta male:** MNOTENACHISKD

**bicon:** this is entertaining, but please sleep

**jacobskarl:** please

**tubbox:** hey jacobskarl!!

**jacobskarl:** hey underscore tubbo!!

**wimblr stop:** wait lemme check who is even in this chat-

**wimblr stop:** why the fuck is my dad here???

**wimblr stop:** dream was this an impulse decision, a cry for help, you messing with us, or…?????

**george:** i agree with wimblr stop

**dre:** >> _an impulse decision, a cry for help, you messing with us_ <<  
all of the above??

**wimblr stop:** valid

**bbh:** dream you okay?

**dre:** :)

[ **dre changed george’s name to gogyyyy**]

**gogyyyy:** a cry for help.

**dre:** yea but also like i wanna throw a late NYE party and y’all are the only kook kids in town

**dre:** kool*

**dre:** both work

**bicon:** i’m down once y’all go to sleep

**sharp electronic:** the child has been neutralized

**bicon:** what the fuck is your family techno

**wimblr stop:** OHOHO BIG MAN YOU ARE WRONG

**sharp electronic:** what

[ **wimblr stop changed beta male’s name to BIG MAN**]

**dre:** wait who did i accidentally give admin perms to

**wimblr stop:** me

**dre:** well duh, but who else

**tubbox:** …

**dre:** tubbo

**tubbox:** dre

[ **dre removed tubbox’s admin perms**]

**tubbox:** dang

**dre:** if you respond with ‘...’ in a situation like that, you deserve that

**tubbox:** :( tommy he’s being mean

**BIG MAN:** i got my phone back- also tubbo this is revenge

**wimblr stop:** you didn’t do it tho

**BIG MAN:** revenge :)

**tubbox:** revenge :(

**bicon:** for the love of god please sleep

**BIG** **MAN:** fine

-later-

[ **8:37 am** ]

**dadza:** who wants to tell me 1: why tommy was screaming and 2: why my phone is blowing up?

**sharp electronic:** lmao dadza

**wimblr stop:** lmao dadza

**BIG MAN:** lmao dadza

**tubbox:** lmao dadza

**jacobskarl:** what the honk

**BIG MAN:** HE BROKE THE CHAIN GET IM

**tubbox:** GET THE NONBELIVERRRR

**dadza:** the actual fuck

**gogyyyy:** i cannot sleep

**wimblr stop:** _psst, put your phone on silent_

**gogyyyy:** but who shall i complain to??

**dre:** no one :)

**bicon:** dre you have started a cult, summoned a father, and told george to shut up

**snapmap:** bet i can do better

**gogyyyy:** plz don’t

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two uploads within 3 days??? i’m going crazy with nothing (homework) to do so this is a thing


	4. a little bit of ✨spice✨

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a little something i wrote during the vods a few days ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just something i wrote while watching the vods a few days ago. pretty cool stuff :D new things coming out soon, including incorrect quotes, some oneshots that might become not-oneshots, and of course, more angst. stay tuned!

the crater where it once stood holds memories and ashes of a country once great. 

l’manburg. 

manburg. 

whatever you want to call it, it was first l’manburg, a country spawned from a drug van and a man armed only with his wit, sweet songs, and a heart of gold. it was a country led by a man and his right hand man, two peas in a pod. they could be brothers or friends, but nobody cared. they were as tight knit as they could be. 

at least, that’s what it was. l’manburg was a country as great as it could be for about two seconds, before they realized what their dream meant and the troubles it would bring. 

men, fighting behind the children for freedom they never really needed. they were always free, they just wanted power. men, power-hungry and uncaring, except for victory and crushing their enemies. 

children, fighting wars for the men who stood behind them. puppeteers in a talent show. a story for their descendants to hear and hope to never repeat. children fighting wars before they could drink, before they learned to drive, before the experiences we would associate with becoming of age even thought to occur. 

~~•~~

the man, the myth, the legend, wilbur soot, went mad before his dream could properly manifest. he dove off the deep end the second his power was threatened, abandoning those who needed him in favor of power and chaos. 

he once said: “if i can’t have manburg, nobody else can.”

he left his brothers, his friends, everyone in favor of taking his land from those who he seemed unworthy. deciding to use his own brother like a weapon, and attempting to take his right hand man right down with him. he slightly succeeded. he took away the freedoms, the wars, everything the children had to do for him was stripped away. meaningless. he should never have left behind what he did, and with who he did, but his departure from this plane was likely for the best. 

~~•~~

technoblade. the blood god. the anarchist, the protector. whatever you call him, he is the same. for a rose by any other name would smell just as sweets the saying goes. he is always him, and him is always constant. he is strong in not just combat, but in his ideals. he stands by them no matter what, hoping for a world without government and without corruption. those go hand in hand. 

he once said: “i am a person too!”

many people seem to forget that combat is not the only strength in this world. his emotions never got the best of him. until they started to bleed through, fueled by anger and betrayal. the true destruction of l’manburg at the hands of the false god and the anarchist would live as an immortal lesson to all those who would see. he is stronger than we could ever hope to be. but is that good?

~~•~~

tommy, the underage right hand man of a country blown sky-high. the kid who was manipulated into war after war, painful situation after painful situation. tricked into using his allies like weapons for his benefit, and to never make any effort to change. he is not directly at fair, for that was what he was always taught. 

tommy once said: “the discs were worth more than you ever were!”

people always forget the children, don’t they? he does not know the words he speaks, as they were taught to him like he was taught to fight. instincts and habits that might never die. someone threatens his home and he rushes to battle. he steals and forges, runs and pranks. for he does not know any different. 

~~•~~

tubbo. the last president of the ruins. a child in the revolution. he once said something that may seem odd out of context, but in this situation it shined a light onto who he was and who he is. he knows he is young, but he knows he is strong. he’s survived this long, after all. 

the phrase he spoke was: “if i am a pawn, then this is checkmate.”

tell me, is this what you would say before facing the demon of death himself? would you spit in the face of the false god and suggest he resign from his position of power? words spoken with the utmost confidence before his rescue was even thought to have happened. i wouldn’t dare, yet he dared to be brave in his moments. he accepted death before he had to. 

~~•~~

the false god. the masked man, the legend himself. dream. he holds power to this day, no matter what people might say. he made this world, and others are simply in it. manipulation is a strength rivaling his talent in war. threatening the death of others in hopes of winning, he is blind to what he has lost. he relies on the government he does not, and never will run. 

this man once said: “i want to see white flags outside, by dawn, or you are dead!”

words once spoken with the utmost confidence. and that confidence was earned, after crushing children in a war they thought they could handle. he does not exactly regard people as human. for he is not human himself, he is something different. he imitates the gods in hope of striking fear, of striking obedience. he does not know that history has been repeated, and he lost his allies the second morals were pushed. 

~~•~~

the whispers of festivals gone wrong fill the silent air, only to those who will listen. they do not matter in the grand scheme of things, although they prove lessons long since taught and recently learned:

the children put in charge will imitate their predecessors. 

take ‘children’ as you will. may it be the spoiled dictator who did not know how to act, or tubbo, the child president who was not made to lead. if you elect a child, you have sealed your fate. the advisors of the pharaohs and advisors of the monarchs exist for a reason, nobody is without flaws. 

i am leaving you with wisdom, and although we may reunite, please read this and take it to heart. 

you may gain experience from unlikely situations. keep your eyes open, lest you miss it. 

the children in charge are but marionettes, puppeteered by those in power. they are figureheads, do not believe the words said. 

and lastly: history not learned is doomed to be repeated by the ignorant and hopeful. 

remember my words, please. be smart, be brave, and keep your head on a swivelout there. until our next meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dislike this greatly but at least it’s coming out at a reasonable time?? i proofread this once and cannot be bothered to do it again :)


	5. there's a kid in the woods, wil!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> idk platonic soulmates have been a fun-sounding au, so here you go- also this is probably gonna get its own series so keep an eye out for that i guess (itll take less priority over this unless i really like it lmao)

tubbo always enjoyed friday evenings. it’s a rare time when he is able to take the weekend off and relax. often times, he would check up on his bees and just turn in after reading something interesting, but this time he decided to go out for a walk. he lived alone, and no one would miss him if he left for a night, so what was the harm?

“okay, ukulele: check!” tubbo grabbed his ukulele, along with its case, and walked over to the kitchen table.

“bag with all my shit: check!” tubbo grabbed a nice leather bag and peered inside.

he really loved that bag, he would have you know. it was more than just a bag to him, it was one of the first expensive items he bought with his first year’s sale. he had his eyes on it for a long time, about three months, before he decided to just give in and buy it after he had some money left over. it might seem boring to others, but for tubbo it wasn’t.

he triple-checked that his bag held water, snacks, and some notes for his music. that was all he needed, so he slung the bag onto his shoulder and put his ukulele into its case. holding it tightly, he walked out the door and down a path.

the path he chose was well-worn by now, so tubbo could zone out and think about anything as he walked.

letting his thoughts wander, tubbo stopped worrying about his sales for the month- it was almost winter anyways, he wouldn’t be making that much money anyways- and instead thoughts of the beautiful flowers and animals he had seen during his walks. he loved the woods he lived in so much, and he could see the clearing he was heading to right in that moment.

it was a beautiful little circle, honestly. the sunlight streamed in at just the right angle during the day, and at sunset, the cliff the clearing opened to the most perfect view. a large boulder sat near the cliff, at just the right angle that the sun wouldn’t blind him. a perfect rock to have a picnic on. that’s what tubbo did, the first time he saw the clearing. and when he did, it was the most beautiful sight ever to him.

the sunset there was exactly like a painting. the clouds streaking the oranges with pale yellows, and the navy night sky merging with the light blues turning to yellow and then a deep red, and the stars barely beginning to greet him.

he was more than excited to see it tonight, though. it was always more beautiful in the fall, to him at least. the leaves would start to change into the most beautiful of colors, and he really liked stepping on the crunchy, fallen leaves. sure, it was beautiful year round, but even with the bright greens of a budding spring and a blooming summer, it wasn’t the same.

although most people would be concerned about someone as you as him staging in an open area late at night- you never know who or what’s there- tubbo wasn’t worried. people would generally be concerned about being outside period when it’s so late, but it just wasn’t a concern. tubbo found that whenever he played his music, he was safe from monsters and dangers of all kind.

that was the first clue that he had magic. when tubbo first found out, he wasn't sure how to use it. for a long time, he didn’t even notice when he was using it.

only when a good friend of his, sam, had mentioned how lucky he was after he told them all about his musical excursions. he spent weekend after weekend studying, and he had to do it all on his own without any reference. magic wasn’t _illegal_ or _bad_ , per se, but it was not something that a lot of people were a fan of. pairing the facts that he was magic, a semi-poor orphan, and a ram hybrid together, it’s unlikely that it would be smart to mention that he can use magic to anyone he doesn’t wholly and completely trust. that's what he thought, anyways. tubbo decided to practice in the woods, far from anyone he had ever seen travel, just to be extra safe.

as he entered the clearing, pushing the branches away, he saw exactly what he knew would make his day better. the sun was close to setting, so he was just in time.

setting his bag on the side of the boulder, he pulled out his paper with the chords so he could play a new song he had been learning. he had been lucky enough to accidentally enchant his ukulele in such a way that it never needed to be tuned, and was always ready to play. that’s one of the reasons tubbo loved that ukulele so much. it might be beaten up, old, and slightly dented in places, but it was the first thing that tubbo had ever enchanted.

getting all settled and comfortable on the boulder, tubbo closed his eyes as he let his fingers dance across the fretboard, and sang.

_come rest your bones next to me_

the images behind his eyes waltzed around him as he played. they were happy memories; his first sale, the first time he came to this clearing and saw the sunset, meeting sam and visiting him after a long day to chat.

_and toss all your thoughts to the sea_

he thought back to some sad and bitter memories as well: his parents leaving when he was just old enough to understand what that meant, his old house being burned down, the discrimination he recieved in numerous towns back when he was more nomadic than anything.

_i’ll pull up each of our anchors_

tubbo knew that this was some sort of song about love. one he didn’t exactly understand, but the point was getting across. he never understood emotions entirely well.

_and we can get lost you and me_

he held out that note as the last chord rang out. he always enjoyed that sound, his voice mixing with the ukulele in just the right way.

as he continued playing, he noticed the reds and oranges of the sunset deepen. he slowly opened his eyes, and even though he was blinded by the light, he kept playing. he put more and more emotion into the song as he went on.

_my heart is buried in venice_

tubbo didn’t know what the artist meant by venice: if it was a place or a concept. he still liked the lyric anyways. if i was a place then it sounded like the person had gone through something bad and left their feelings behind in venice, hoping that would help them. if it was a concept… well, tubbo didn’t know what it meant then. it was sad either way.

_waiting for someone to take it… home_

tubbo finished the song with a soft strum, and sat in the ringing silence.

then, he was struck with an idea- music always helped with that. he had been thinking for a while, or what felt like a while, about trying to use his magic on purpose instead of using it accidentally. maybe his magic worked with the lyrics of the song he sang… what should he sing about then?

he thought about something that he wanted to happen, that wasn't too extreme of course, and got hit with another idea. getting up from the boulder, tubbo walked over to a tree. a yellow leaf sat on one of the branches, and he delicately picked it off. settling down on his boulder again, he sang a song without really thinking.

_with the leaves turning yellow to red_

_thoughts of autumn’s beauty fill my head_

_once the leaf was bright and green_

_now the traces have been scrubbed clean_

it was a simple little song, following a random chord progression he heard a while back. as he focused on the song, he saw- that just barely- the leaf turn from yellow to a pale orange. it wasn’t much, but tubbo never needed much, now did he?

keeping the chords, tubbo sought to make the leaf turn red by the time he could see the moon up high in the sky.

unbeknownst to him, however, his magic was already working. tubbo was so focused on the leaf that he didn’t notice the wind swirling protectively around him.

~~•~~

“oh my gods tommy- can you relax for like two seconds?” wilbur sighed as he trudged through the forest. coming on a walk with just tommy was a stupid idea.

tommy mocked him in a high voice, before going, “fuck off, wil. it’s not like we’re gonna get mugged by the vines or anything!” he kicked a vine trailing from a random tree trunk.

“tommy we almost got stabbed by monsters the last ti-”

“askers, any askers, guys?” tommy interrupted.

“my lord,” wilbur muttered. “we gotta be back soon, or else phil is gonna lose his shit.”

“yeah, yeah,” tommy said dismissively, seemingly distracted by something.

wilbur brushed it off as him being hyperactive and too attentive, until tommy speaks up.

“do you hear something?” he asks suddenly. “it sounds like… singing?”

“i knew you were crazy,” wilbur joked.

“fuck off wil, i’m being serious,” tommy shoved him.

wilbur tiled his head, trying to listen the best he could. just barely, he could hear a voice. it sounded like singing, but wilbur couldn’t be sure. it was still a voice, someone who could hurt them.

“i guess i hear something? we probably shouldn’t go near, that sounds like some classic siren shit. we could go and check it out, but don’t get t-”

“cool, don’t care. it sounds like it’s coming from this direction!” tommy cut him off to sprint to god knows where.

wilbur knew he would be killed for returning without tommy, and didn’t like the idea of letting him run head first into what could be danger, so with a sigh, wilbur started booking it after tommy. thank god that kid left what looked like a hurricane in his wake.

eventually, the trees started to thin out, a welcome difference from the thick, hard-to-see-past trees. he could hear tommy shouting about getting closer, but before he could break through the last of the trees he heard tommy shout in surprise.

“oh shit-” wilbur swore as he ran even harder.

breaking into the clearing, it was a kind of ridiculous sight. if you could call tommy trying to shout over the wind- when did it get so windy? wilbur could barely hear tommy over the wind.

the source was easy to spot, it was a swirling orb around what could be a boulder, but he was more concerned about tommy. his hair was whipped in every direction as he breathed loudly to try and get the stolen air into his lungs.

“you fucking _bi_ … CUT IT OUT!” he heard tommy shout over the wind.

wilbur took a closer at the source of the wind-magic. he almost didn’t believe his eyes for a moment. inside the orb, he could see a kid for a split-second at a time, hunched over and incredibly focused.

_was that kid causing this? does he even know he’s doing this?_ wilbur wondered to himself.

it really seemed like this kid was clueless to the outside world, at least for the moment. he might not even know that he’s performing magic, since he seems to be pointing at a paper and addressing something in his lap. now, wilbur didn’t see magic people every day, but he had made friends with quite a few. well, acquaintances was probably the correct term. he had seen them train before, at least, so it was kind of strange to see someone who looked entirely new to magic just doing it so casually and unaware.

all wilbur was sure of, is that he needs to make this kid aware of what he’s doing, so that’s what he started thinking to do.

after just staring at the boy, tommy turned to face wilbur.

“hey, bitch! come help me… him up!” he shouted over the wind.

“shut up tommy!” wilbur called back. “wait wait wait- do not do that hold on-”

wilbur was just a second too late, however, as tommy was already bolting towards the kid.

_BAM!_

wilbur winced as tommy was thrown back by the wind magic. rushing over to help out his brother, wilbur heard the wind behind him calm down slightly. did the kid hear tommy’s shouting? likely, the gremlin was so loud he was sure that the other side of the world could hear him.

after checking on tommy- who thankfully only had the wind knocked out of him- he turned back to the kid on the rock. he looked less focused now, and the wind was definitely dying down. he could hear a lot better now, and he tried to fix his hair up a little bit before turning around to face him. just faintly, he could hear the strumming of an instrument.

one thing wilbur learned almost immediately after making some magic friends, is that most magic-users need a kind of vessel. that’s why wands and staffs were often associated with that kind of thing, it's an easy thing to find and channel the magic through. wilbur could assume the kid accidentally made that ukulele his vessel.

apparently, the kid _did_ hear something, because the wind had calmed down, and he was startled by a voice a bit away from him.

“uh, who are you guys?”

wilbur must have jumped out of his skin, because when he got a good look at the kid, he had his hands up.

wilbur scanned him for a weapon before relaxing. the kid only had a ukulele on hand- good choice on an instrument by the way- and there was a bag just out of both of their reaches, so he wasn’t too worried.

“sorry,” the kid said. “was i doing that the whole time?”

“if you’re talking about the wind shit, then yeah,” tommy said from the ground behind wilbur. “pretty cool, but you did shove me into a tree.”

the kid’s face switched from confusion to concern, as he quickly said, “oh gods are you- are you okay? i didn’t even realize i had started to do that i’m so sorry-”

tommy stood up, and brushed some dirt off of his pants, “yeah, but i’m too much of a big man to get hurt. don’t worry about it.”

“a big man?” the kid quoted, looking at wilbur for an explanation.

“yeah, a big man. i’m wilbur, bu the way,” wilbur held out his hand for the kid to shake.

“oh! yeah, i’m tubbo, nice to meet you!” the kid- tubbo said. he looked at wilbur’s hand before looking at his own. “sorry, not a fan of handshakes. still nice to meet you, though!”

wilbur shrugged, and put his hand down.

“and i’m tommy,” tommy piped up from behind a bit behind wilbur.

“it’s nice to meet you both!” tubbo smiled at them.

looking at the sun, which was actually gone by now, wilbur asked tubbo, “why are you out this late? haven’t your parents given you a curfew or something?”

tubbo shrugged, seemingly indifferent, but wilbur could tell that he hit a bit of a sore spot.

“they did. but who are they to care? i can stay out as long as i want now,” tubbo said.

“you a runaway?” tommy asked.

tubbo looked over to him, before mumbling something.

“sorry? can you repeat yourself please?” wilbur asked.

tubbo looked back over to him, before saying a bit louder, “i’m not a runaway. it’s none of your business.”

“so you’re an orphan, then,” tommy decided, and wilbur elbowed him in the ribs, earning a hiss of slight pain.

“shut the fuck up, gremlin-” he started. “either way, how are you gonna get home? i know i don’t know you and all but you gotta be safe and whatnot.”

“yeah, we can get you home if you’d like,” tommy offered.

“look at you being all mature,” wilbur whispered, very loudly tommy might add.

tommy slapped wilbur’s shoulder in retaliation as tubbo laughed, before shaking his head.

“i’ll be okay. i’ve stayed out later before,” tubbo reassured.

“but-” tommy started, before wilbur finished for him.

“does your magic protect your from monsters?” he asked.

“i’m pretty sure, yeah. i’ve been doing this for ages and every time i come out here i’ve been safe,” tubbo tilted his head for a second. “i mean, there was that one time i wasn’t, but that was a fluke. if i play music the whole time i’ll be fine.”

“that’s pretty cool, what music do you play?” wilbur asked. “i play guitar, nice to see someone play ukulele.”

tubbo smiled, but looked sheepish at the same time, “i can play only a few songs. most are from other people, but i know a few ones from my parents!”

“i hate to cut this _delightful_ conversation off,” tommy interjected. “actually- no i’m not- but we should probably go unless you are good at talking and want to play for the time that we’re here.”

wilbur realized that tommy was right, and if he was honest, he was pretty tired. he and tommy had gone on an evening walk after dinner, and had just stumbled upon some random kid. he wasn’t about to stress about the conversation later because he was tired and wasn’t as good at being friendly as he wanted to be. and anyways, they could meet again. they likely would, since wilbur wanted to play with tubbo sometime.

“yeah,” tubbo agreed. “i should go back too. unless- actually do you have a pen? i just need to write something down before i forget.”

tommy fished about in his pockets for a second, before pulling out a dull pencil.

“sorry it couldn’t be sharp. phil said i can’t carry around something sharp in my pockets like that,” tommy said, making it very clear he thought it was stupid. “i mean, what if i need to stab someone? it’s a stupid rule.”

“why would you need to stab someone?” tubbo asked, and wilbur made a noise of agreement.

“yeah, why, tommy?” wilbur asked.

“well, there’s one example,” tommy grinned at his older brother. “when my brother starts questioning me! but sometimes, big men gotta stab not as big men, it’s just what we do.”

tommy started to reach for a stick to hit wilbur with, but wilbur reached it before he did, and bonked tommy on the head. with an indignant squawk, tommy went to tackle wilbur. but before he could go through with his attack, he was interrupted by tubbo.

“thanks for the pencil!” he said cheerfully from the boulder, hunched over paper as he scribbled. “want to know something funny?” he asked after a few seconds of silence.

“yeah sure,” tommy shrugged.

“when you saw me doing all that wind shit, i was actually trying to make this leaf-” tubbo held up a half-dead orange-red leaf in his hand. “i was trying to make this red. when it started out, the leaf was actually pretty yellow. i was really focused i guess, so much that i missed the actual magic i was doing.”

wilbur laughed, “i mean, that’s progres, i guess? how did you not notice the wind though? i could barely think over how crazy it was,” wilbur asked.

“i’ll be completely honest with you, wilbur, that probably happens every time i come here,” tubbo shrugged. “i’m assuming so because whenever i come here to do my magic shit, i always leave with the perimeter a bit messed up. i guess i never really thought about why.”

“yeah that’s fair,” wilbur nodded. “sorry to cut this short, but we best be leaving.”

tubbo nodded, and handed the pencil back to tommy.

“it was nice to meet you two! come back sometime soon!” wilbur could hear the smile in tubbo’s voice as he left the clearing.

behind him, tommy held back. wilbur let him, he knew he would catch up soon.

tubbo looked at him curiously, before asking, “what’s up?”

“oh- sorry i just zoned out for a second. it was nice to meet you though,” tommy held out his hand. “shake on meeting again soon?” he asked.

“for sure!” tubbo grinned as they shook on it.

as their hands clasped together, a tingling feeling spread throughout each of their respective arm.

“what the fuck did you do?” tommy asked, defensive as he jerked his hand back.

“wha- i don’t know!” tubbo said as he inspected his arm. “wait- no way that’s wh- that’s insane.”

tommy got curious, and grabbing tubbo’s arm he saw exactly what he was exclaiming at.

dropping his arm, he looked at his own, and gasped. right on his wrist was a looped doodle of a bee.

_a soul mark._

“no _fucking_ way,” tommy laughed. “no fucking way _it’s you_ -”

“tommy?” wilbur called from deeper into the woods.

“sorry tubbo- i’ll be back here next weekend, at sunset?” tommy called over his shoulder as he ran to catch up with wilbur.

“sounds good!” he heard tubbo call back.

tommy really couldn’t believe it. should he tell wilbur? probably not, that might be something to ask tubbo. his soulmate. isn’t that crazy? tommy thought that he was lucky enough to have three already, but adding another to the mix? that was so crazy to him.

~~•~~

“what’s got you all excited?” wilbur asked as tommy caught up with him.

“made plans to meet with tubbo again. next weekend at sunset, so same time; same place,” tommy responded.

“you think we should mention him to phil and techno? you think they’d wanna meet him?” wilbur asked.

“yeah they might. but no, i don’t see the point. and also, that probably wouldn’t be a great idea,” tommy thought.

“how come?” wilbur asked.

“how co- how come? wilbur are you crazy?” tommy asked, laughing.

wilbur cracked a grin, “yeah, meeting just you was stressful enough, don’t want to stress him out even more.”

“yeah, how could we possibly stress him out?” tommy joked.

wilbur laughed as they walked up the pathway, towards home. the mood wasn’t fully up in the sky, so they hadn’t really broken curfew, but phil worried anyways, so they tried to hurry up the path.

“yeah,” he sighed as he looked up at the beautiful, fortified castle. “how could we ever stress anyone out?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just past 3500 words. im tired- also i formatted all this on my laptop so i can copy/paste easier, so expect that from now on probably.


	6. my very own prison! (part 1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 1 of some ranboo stuff! also this week should also include a short about karl :D stay tuned!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next part is gonna have the same title with (2/2) so keep an eye out for that!

ranboo always took a walk on the prime path, as often as he could manage. it’s become a habit, surpassing his memory issues. although living in the north with phil and techno meant that he couldn’t do it as often, he still made an effort to do it.

he liked walking the path for a few reasons. one is that it was really pretty. not the path itself, but the sky and the occasional good build. it was also very long, which was always nice. ranboo enjoyed long walks, they helped clear his head. when he mentioned that to techno one day, he had jokingly said he sounded like those people who said they enjoyed long walks on the beach. ranboo found that joke funny, mostly because it was actually true.

one particular day, ranboo found himself wandering the prime path. he planned to go and visit the prison later, but wanted to relax beforehand. that would be his first visit after all, he wanted to be prepared.

he was walking to what was probably bad and skeppy’s house, when he was suddenly just- ten or eleven feet in front of where he was just strolling, along with a sharp pain in his chest. his tail straightened behind him as he winced.

“what the-” ranboo looked around, trying to see if anyone hit him.

it sure felt like somebody hit him, but the pain was inside his chest, smack dab in the middle. and then, the pain disappeared as quickly as it came.

“uhh- hello? is anyone there?” he spun in circles a few times, before realizing that nobody was there.

_did he just teleport?_ ranboo stood still as that thought crossed his mind. no- no way. sure, he had ‘silk touch hands’, as tubbo liked to call it, but he was only half enderman. no way he can just teleport.

he wouldn’t address why he felt so inclined to deny teleportation, because the thought scared him and he was sure that the reason wasn’t good.

he kept walking, and brushed it off as a one-time thing. a weird coincidence, like he just zoned out for a minute or two.

apparently, strange things don’t happen alone, because as ranboo walked into the prison- pain almost forgotten, a whisper in his mind- he heard a weird sentence from sam.

“welcome back, ranboo,” sam said in his warden-voice.

ranboo had heard of his warden-voice before from tommy and… someone else. he couldn’t remember who. he just knew it was a complete change from what sam usually acted like.

“hey sam! how’s it going?” ranboo said, electing not to point out what sam said as he walked up to the desk he stood behind. his tail flicked both nervously and happily, sam was a friend, but something was off.

“it’s going alright. you here to visit dream?”

“why else? unless you kidnapped someone and shoved them in here?” ranboo joked.

sam gave a vague huff of a laugh, then opened up a book, saying, “you know the drill. i’ll ask you some questions, and you must answer truthfully. i will know if you don’t.”

“okay!” ranboo agreed, even though he had _no clue_ what the drill was.

“cool, where do you live, ranboo?”

“up north with technoblade and phil,” ranboo answered truthfully.

sam nodded, and continued, “what was your relationship with the prisoner?”

“uhh,” ranboo thought for a second. “he was the guy who outed me as a traitor, messed with my memories a bit, and kind of blew up my home.”

sam nodded again, and asked, “and when was the last time that you visited dream?”

“this is my first time visiting, is it not?” ranboo asked, his head tilted and tail flicking nervously on the ground.

he could see sam’s eyes change into something he couldn’t exactly read. his mask covered the rest of his face, but ranboo could guess that it wasn’t good.

“what do you mean?” sam asked, somewhat confused and suspicious.

“well, i don’t remember coming here before this visit? did you show me around? does that count as a visit?” ranboo asked. “i’m sorry, i must have forgotten.”

ranboo knew something was wrong. he must have come here before right now, but he just can’t seem to pull it out of his memory.

“no? you’ve been here before. i have three contracts signed by you from your first visit,” sam told him. “you have visit dream beforehand. how do you not remember?”

ranboo went still, thinking hard as his tail started to wrap around his ankle nervously. well, that certainly isn’t good. sam is gonna lock him up or something for lying, isn’t he? oh, why did he think coming to the prison was a good idea! he didn’t need to speak with dream at all, it always ends badly- what’s going on is right, sam!

“uhm,” ranboo stumbled over his words. “i genuinely don’t remember coming here i’m sor-”

“ranboo, i’m going to have to ask you to leave,” sam said, his warden-voice coming on stronger, but ranboo could hear just a _hint_ of concern hidden beneath it all.

“yea- yeah i’m sorry sam,” ranboo turned around and walked straight out, through the portal and out to the path, his tail thumping against the ground with nervous energy.

~~•~~

of course, ranboo knew he needed to fix the situation as soon as possible. the only problem: he didn’t know how.

his first guess was that he wrote it in the wrong memory book, since he does that sometimes, but even when he checked every memory book with information in it, nothing was about the prison or visiting dream. it did, however, bring up sad and unhappy memories of new l’manburg, which was now l’crater, as called by techno and phil.

he thought of asking techno or phil if he had been to the prison, but they were currently out doing anarchist things. he thinks it was totem hunting, but he couldn’t be sure. maybe phil was fixing up the nether, and techno probably was hunting for maps to find totems. (or did phil finish fixing the nether? he couldn’t remember.)

suddenly, ranboo found himself stepping out of the portal, in front of the community house. he must have zoned out and wandered. well, at least he didn’t wander up north, he probably would get lost and freeze to death. the thought of that made him uneasy.

as he thought of what he couldn’t remember, he felt that pain again, and found himself in the center of the community house. hunching over to try and help the pain, his tail went as straight as a stick. the feeling was familiar, somehow. he knew it had happened before, but when?

was he teleporting and forgetting? the deja-vu feeling was overwhelming and he knew something was off, but he just didn’t know. that had been happening a lot, hadn’t it?

ranboo decided to quickly scrawl down in his memory book ‘have i been teleporting? get that checked out’. as he flipped through the pages absentmindedly, he heard footsteps coming from his left.

looking up, ranboo saw sam. same, who he had just lied to and made himself probably the most untrustworthy person in the world to.

snapping his memory book shut, he looked up a bit more as his tail wrapped around his ankle once again.

“hey sam! how’s it going?” ranboo asked, before realizing that he just said that to him about 2 hours ago.

sam likely noticed as well, because his head tilted in concern. jeez- his mask made it hard to read his expression. ranboo looked at sam’s hands, and saw three books, all signed and closed.

“i have a few questions, ranboo,” sam said, frustration and concern clear in his voice. this wasn’t warden-sam, even if he kind of sounded like it.

“yeah, yeah i would think you would,” ranboo sighed as he stared at the pile of crafting tables in the center of the community house.

“i have three contracts signed by you, i had you read them out to me so i know you read them, right?” the question sounded rhetorical, so ranboo let sam continue. “and then i go and check these books to make sure i wasn’t somehow making a mistake, and i find this.”

ranboo is handed three books, all signed by him.

“how…?” ranboo mumbled, tracing the engraving of his name on the book as he shifted the three in his hands. “sam, i have no memory of this, i’m being hon-”

“i don’t really care if you don’t remember, just look inside them,” sam interrupted, and pointed at the books.

flipping one open, ranboo read the only sentence that was actually legible. the rest was taken off the page or scribbled out, the only evidence that something had been written in it before the phrase that made ranboo almost loose his breath.

“ ᓭᔑ⍊ᒷ↸ ↸∷ᒷᔑᒲ

signed, ranboo”

ranboo couldn’t make any noise at what he just read, at what he just _wrote_. when did this- how? he shouldn’t have had a chance to ever edit this, and he most certainly would remember doing something bad, at the very least the adrenaline that usually accompanies the actions. he hasn’t written or read galactic in ages, and the only person he could think of who would write or read it was-

dream.

sitting down on the pile of crafting tables, his tail thumped on them as he stared at the book, trying to see if there was faded ink, if he could read the scribbled out words, _anything_. but nothing turned up.

“i- i- sam, i don’t- i don’t understand what does this mean?” ranboo asked, and it was clear to the two that ranboo knew exactly what that said, but was asking about what he meant.

ranboo flipped open the other books, almost desperately searching for something good, but only starting to panic at what he read.

they said the same thing- why did they say the same thing?

“no-nononononono,” ranboo crossed his legs, trying to get control of his breathing as his tail wrapped around his chest tightly.

he ignored sam as he just _stared_ at the books. there had to be legal repercussions to basically defacing a contract, even if he didn’t remember doing it. he couldn’t remember what the contract said, so he could either be completely screwed, or sam could understand- if he could just find it in himself to share what he was feeling just in general this would be so easy. ranboo felt his tail constrict tighter around his chest, kind of like a weird hug.

“i don’t- sam i genuinely don’t remember doing this-,’ ranboo took a stuttering breath, looking at sam the best he could without eye contact. “there is no way in hell i would write anything like- like _this_.”

“i know, i don’t think you’re like that,” sam said. “im mostly asking how you would have done this, and also who made you do this and not remember.”

ranboo looked back at the books, “it’s obvious, is it not?”

sam tilted his head, and said, “it could be. but there are many people dream has power over. it could be him indirectly.”

“i mean-” ranboo stopped from saying that _dream was controlling him, it was obviously the two of them,_ but assumed that wouldn’t end well.

“what was i like the last time i came here?” ranboo blurted out. “did i sound okay? did i look or act any different? did i sound like myself, sam?”

sam looked taken aback by the question, but answered all the same.

“you sounded _fine_ , ranboo! what is going on, you have to tell me!” his voice sounded more worried now. “what does the book say?”

ranboo doesn’t answer, he just stares at the ground. his tail unwraps itself from his torso and begins nervously thumping on the crafting tables.

a beat passes, and sam kneels down so that ranboo could get a better look at him.

“are you okay, ranboo?”

his concern is so _clear_ , so _genuine_ that ranboo wants to tell him yes, he’s fine. that nothing is wrong and he shouldn’t worry, but he can’t find it in himself to do it.

with a tear slipping out, he says clearly, “no.”

he could see sam’s eyebrows tighten at his admission, and immediately felt bad. “but it’s-”

“it’s not fine, ranboo,” sam said gently, patting his knee to get his attention. “you have to tell me so i can help you!”

ranboo shuffled the books, and shoved them at sam. he had to leave. he had to leave, he had to leave. he. had. to. leave. that’s what he needed. to not even take the risk of him being controlled and to get as far away from the prison as he could.

so he got up, standing at his full height and faced sam, who also stood tall, but still had to look up at ranboo.

“sam,” ranboo started.

“yes?” sam asked.

“i need you to never let me in the prison,” ranboo requested.

sam’s eyes turned confused, “i _already_ wasn’t going to le-”

it was ranboo’s turn to interrupt, “good. don’t let me in even if you figure out what is going on. not if i look fine, if i sound fine, no matter what don’t let me even look at the entrance.”

“i- what- ranboo?” sam tilted his head in confusion.

“i can’t explain it to you. or- or to anyone,” ranboo shifted on his feet awkwardly. “i don’t think i could even if i wanted to. just- just don’t let me in, o-okay?”

“only if you tell me what the books say,” sam said, even if the threat was empty.

this wasn’t warden-voice sam, and even though ranboo knew the threat was empty, he wasn’t going to take any chances. taking a book back from sam, he took in a deep breath.

“okay they- oh jeez i really don’t-” ranboo cut himself off, and flipped the book to sam. “it says ‘i saved dream’. or rescued, those words always look similar.”

sam, who didn’t seem to shift like ranboo, but instead fidgeted with his foot digging into the ground, stood still. it was a strange sight, but still.

“what?” he asked.

“i-” ranboo started, but sam cut him off.

“i know you aren’t at fault- or at least i’m _praying_ you aren’t, but what?” sam sounded frustrated. “first, you come in, saying that you’ve never visited dream- when i know for a fact you visited, i mean you signed the books! and now they’re messed up?

“then i met you here, and show you the books and you freaked out-“

“i didn’t freak ou-“ ranboo mumbled, his tail twisting around his ankle, but sam talked over him and continued.

“ _yes you did_ \- you freak out and ask me not to let you in the prison- don’t worry about that by the way, it’ll be closed for a _long time_ until i figure this out- and now you’re telling me that you wrote, in _galactic_ of all things, that you saved and-or rescued dream? ranboo- what the hell?”

sam took a deep breath as he noticed ranboo’s discomfort.

“i’m sorry, you didn’t deserve that,” he apologized. “is there anything else i can do?”

ranboo knew he needed sam’s help. sam knew that, and ranboo knew that sam knew, but still. he couldn’t take any help. his tail flicked nervously on the wooden floor with nervous energy as he quickly said a few words.

“you can take the books, investigate, and tell me what you find maybe? i don’t know how you can help, but keeping me away from there is probably going to help,” ranboo decided to say. “i can figure the rest out, i’m serious.”

sam looked like he wanted to say more, but ranboo was already walking to the portal before he could do anything more. ranboo’s comms buzzed with a server-wide message, and he read it aloud to himself.

“pandora’s vault will be closed for an undertermined amount of time. nobody will go in for visiting, or any other needs besides me,” he mumbled as he skimmed over the responses.

the responses were mostly, “that was intimidating.” or “what???” but ranboo knew what was up. he was tempted to mention something, or joke about how he ‘knew nothing about this at all. haha’ but decided that joke would be a bit too weird to explain.

_mostly because it’s not a joke-_ nope! ranboo would not be stressing right now. he pushed the thought out of his mind and started focusing on walking home.

as he made his way past techno’s cabin, over to his shack, he checked on his plants. once he was confident they would be fine for the night, he walked in and checked on his animals down in his comfort room. feeding hem, he climbed back up and dug up a memory book.

flipping a page open, he wrote:

_don’t go to the prison_   
_dream is controlling me? how?_   
_everything will be fine._

reviewing the previous entries for anything about dream controlling him, he was not exactly disappointed when he didn’t find anything. he didn’t expect to anyways. he did find a reminder about totem hunting with techno tomorrow, however, so that was nice.

and that was when he decided to go to sleep. in his shack, with enderchest curled up at the foot of his bed, and his memory book shoved to the floor amongst the others, ranboo couldn’t help but feel- no, he couldn’t help but _know_ that he had forgotten something.

but what was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the second part combined with this was like 6000 words soooooo you'll be getting that later! 
> 
> also, do y'all like the format i write things in? if you don't lmk what i can change :D and requests/ideas are very much open, so don't hesitate to give me anything!


	7. incorrect quotes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i’m tired and an still out of commission, have my head-bonk induced crack and also projection because i’m learning japanese but not enough to know “this is all your fault” just yet-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i found most of these on tumblr and shit anyways 2 updates with a bonk so maybe i should do that more often- /j

**quackity:** ay karl, what mouse walks on two legs?  
**karl:** mickey mouse??  
**quackity:** cool, what duck walks on two legs?  
**karl:** donald duck  
**quackity:** nope, all of them  
**karl:**  
**karl:** _this is the last time you disrespect me in my own goddamn house-_

**ranboo, jokingly:** i have the best memory! name one time i forgot something  
**tubbo:** you left me in the walmart parking lot literally right now  
**ranboo:** i did that on purpose!! try again :]  
**tubbo:** :[

**quackity & karl:** i searched everywhere.  
**dream:** ??? what???  
**quackity:** i looked through hundreds of files.  
**karl:** searched through _all_ of my private dms  
**quackity:** i even searched under my bed  
**quackity & karl:** but i still couldn’t find where i asked.  
**dream:** _o h_

**tommy:** i’m just so full of evil. so full of darkness. i feed off of the souls of the living. i strike fea-  
**tubbo:** you sleep with a stuffed cow  
**tommy:** *clutching a stuffed toy* he is a loNGHORN NAMED HENRY AND HE IS MY SECOND IN COMMAND IN MY ARMY OF DARKNESS-

**phil:** since i’m leaving, i left a bowl of advice.  
**phil:** *taking a paper out* for example, “tommy, stop doing that” just applies to everything

**tommy:** i was thinking more like flat-out stealing…  
**wilbur:** what, why?!  
**tommy:** why not? we already stole tubbo-  
**wilbur:** no we did not, tubbo is a person and can do whatever he wants  
**tubbo:** i wanna _s t e a l_

**ghostbur:** hey, hey tommy! look what i got!!  
**tommy, exiled AGAIN:** what, ghostbur.  
**ghostbur:** *kicks his feet in the air to show lightning mcqueen crocs* bam!  
**tommy:**  
**ghostbur:** _kachow…?_

**fundy:** hey tubbo can you pass me the pepper?  
**tubbo:** *holding the pepper* what’s the magic word?  
**fundy:** *begins chanting in latin* _oriri ex favilla quam ego invocabo nomen tuum_  
**tubbo:** *freaking out* just tAKE IT OH GOD-

**eret:** *picking up their phone* tubbo what is it, i’m sorry but i’m kind of busy-  
**tubbo:** *sounding out of it* if i drank- like- 35 to 38 red bull cans- _HYPOTHETICALLY_ \- would i die? or would i be like spider-man and get superpowers?  
**eret:**  
**tubbo:** urgent question, eret  
**eret:** *getting in their car* tubbo do not move an _inch_ i’m coming to get you-

**tommy, after the finale:** oh great, after a long day's work of fighting and nearly dying, i can finally rest!  
**tommy:**  
**tommy:** guess it’s time to message tubbo until 4am

**techno, at 2am:** i made tea  
**wilbur:** i don’t want tea  
**techno:** i didn’t make it for you. it’s my tea.  
**wilbur:** then why??? did you?? tell me??  
**techno:** it’s a conversation starter  
**wilbur:** it’s a shit conversation starter  
**techno:** oh, really? aren’t we conversing? checkmate bitch

**niki:** oh dang the power is out!  
**eret:** i’ll go get candles!  
**tubbo:** wait! i got this!  
**tubbo:** *shaking violently and steadily glowing*  
**niki:** tubbo- what-  
**tubbo:** i swallowed a glow stick!!  
**eret:** *near tears* _tubbo whY WOULD YOU-_

**quackity:** *jokingly interviewing people* so, eret, let’s talk romance! any ladies in the picture?  
**eret:** *leaning forward to him* _please tell me every aspect of myself that made you think i was straight so i can change it immediately_

**techno:** fun idea: we hang mistletoe but instead of kissing, you fight whoever is also under it to the death or until they yield  
**phil:** techno no-  
**tommy:** *chiming in from another room* MISTLE _FOE_  
**phil:** TOMMY NO-

**techno:** what do you have there tubbo?  
**tubbo:** *trying to hide snowchester* nukes??

**sam:** okay, left foot red!  
**tommy & tubbo:** *kick some bloodvines*  
**sam:** right hand green!  
**tommy & tubbo:** *punch dream*

**bad:** maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way!  
bad: and this giant egg!  
**the entire server:** and this giant _w h a t now?_

**sam:** *boops fran* boop!  
**fran:** *sneezes*  
**sam:** *gasp* i made her malfunction!

**phil:** *sighing at tubbo and tommy* guys, i told you specifically to not do that!  
**tubbo:** here’s the thing mr. minecraft- _we weren’t listening_

**tubbo:** これはすべてあなたのせいです!  
**tommy:** yeah yeah i know  
**wilbur:** _you two know japanese???_  
**tommy:** nahhh wejust know the phrase “this is all your fault” in pretty much every language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things should be back to normal soon! also good news, no concussion! i just am v disoriented in general so the bonk-ening didn’t help much also the japanese says "kore wa subete anata no seidesu" because yeah


	8. trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ranboo thinks about trust, about his new living situation, and about himself.

l’manburg. ranboo’s first home, the first place he felt remotely safe. he was never truly safe- he knew that. what with the constant dangers surrounding his memory, his allegiances, and status as a hybrid. sure, neutral mobs didn’t get the worst of it, but people were still wary. they still forgot he can’t make eye contact, can’t go swimming, he can’t do _this_ , can’t do _that_.

that home- his _pets’_ home, where his stuff was- that was gone. gone before he could make a back-up plan, gone before he could get all of his things out, before he could do anything. thankfully, he and his pets survived, along with his armor. he survived- like always- and went up north to live with techno and phil.

speaking of those two, ranboo was more than grateful for their hospitality. that is, if hospitality meant letting ranboo be their neighbor, but he wasn’t about to complain. he had an okay house, a shack in the hillside. it was okay, even if the snow always managed to nearly crush his roof, even if he would have to make a room underground to stay warm, it was fine. enderman usually ran cold, and ranboo wasn’t an exception.

they understood his stance on alliances and loyalty, only asking a few questions.

“so you’re not loyal to a group? like- how l’manburg is a group, and like the badlands?” techno asked.

“yes,” ranboo nodded. “in loyal to people, not countries. it goes deeper than that, stretches beyond that.”

“how so?” phil asked.

thinking, ranboo tried to find the right words. “like how i’m loyal to you two, for your hospitality and for us living so close- it’s only natural we’d be allies. but i’m also friends with tubbo and tommy, who aren’t on your ‘side’. although, me being their friend doesn’t mean i take their side. i am just a friend, only for emotional support and not for conflict.”

techno tilted his head, beginning to understand, “so if you had two groups of friends, what do you do when they fight each other?”

“almost nothing,” ranboo stated simply. “if their fight doesn’t involve me, then i won’t take favor over anyone. i would be there to be nice- sounds childish but i don’t know how to better explain it.”

phil waved a hand, “nah i get it. it only sounds childish because everyone here has always needed to be on a side to win.”

ranboo nodded in agreement, “nobody ever understands, there was a big argument after techno agreed to blow up l’manburg about sides. i thought fundy understood, but…”

and that was it. they understood him- welcomed the idea of having a _friend_. it didn’t undo the paranoia, the awkwardness, or the constant fear of being kicked out or abandoned, but it was a start. it was common ground, it was a first step.

~~•~~

ranboo’s first visit to the prison was an experience, one lost to his memory. the second time he went- when he remembered- it was a wake-up call to the fact that he was still under dream’s manipulation. if only he could just remember _how_ dream managed to get him. there had to be some kind of trigger, right? some tool to make him forget, because how else would it happen?

it had occurred to ranboo that it could be the sleepwalk state of his. it could make him more susceptible to instructions, orders and the like. was there a way to trigger that sleepwalk state? and how would dream do it- was there someone on the outside?

it all raised so many questions, and even fewer answers than when he started.

~~•~~

going totem hunting with techno was a nice break in the monotony of ranboo’s day. that monotony being wake up, worry, do chores, and sleep. it was fun, going out with him and exploring. ranboo wasn’t sure if techno felt the same- he doubted he would ever know what that man was feeling- but ranboo saw it as a kind of bonding trip.

maybe that was reinforced when ranboo found the first totem, and techno actually looked happy/proud. sure, for techno, happy was a soft look in his eyes and a slight upturn of his mouth, but it was good. it made ranboo happy, as well. he was so glad that he had someone who would be happy for him. ranboo might live with phil and techno, but he felt he knew techno the best.

it didn’t help that he barely saw phil after settling into his place up north. it didn’t help that he was always out planning something, always trying to see what was going on.

ranboo might not trust those two with his _life_ , but he trusted them with his friendship, something he had learned to guard closely.

~~•~~

the first time ranboo sleepwalked up north was strange. he was so confused, and rightfully so. he was in the middle of nowhere in the cold snow. when he asked for help getting back, he had to play it off as getting lost after he forgot why he left. maybe that sounded suspicious, but he didn’t want to upset them, or disrupt the slowly building trust. and if he didn’t trust them with the knowledge of that vulnerable state of his, that was all ranboo’s business.

maybe techno would understand. ranboo just didn’t want to be used any more than he was already. techno would understand, from what he heard about the manberg-pogtopia war. phil, however, probably would drop the opportunity to use it. ranboo just didn’t know if it was safe, the paranoia eating at him every time he even considered telling them.

paranoia was a bitch, but ranboo would try and trust a bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is gonna be turned into a series!! most likely, its not definite yet. this would be the first chapter, and its gonna have proper capitalization, proper everything! so be prepared :D


End file.
